The concept of idea software is relatively new, but growing in popularity. The analyst firm Forrester Research explained why:

“Organizations must continually evolve through innovation to meet increasing market and economic pressures. Rather than simply mining promising suggestions submitted on slips of paper dropped into an employee suggestion box, an organization must actively mine and manage the collective wisdom and experiences of all of the players in the firm’s innovation ecosystem to thrive in increasingly competitive markets."

When fueled by strong executive support and a culture that embraces positive change, idea software can benefit an organization in many ways, including:

Uncovering new opportunities for improvement – Often, when idea software is made available company wide and employees are challenged to seek ways to improve the business, executives are shocked by the immediate impact employee-driven innovations can have for the business. But, it shouldn’t be surprising. Front line employees witness processes and results first-hand, every single day and are well positioned to identify what can be improved.

Better cross-functional collaboration – Innovation is a team sport. Unlike a suggestion box that literally locks in employee ideas, idea software is open ground for teams to work together to solve problems and seize opportunities.